The Boy in the Lake (BEN Drowned x Female Reader)

Chapter 15- Preparation?

Time had flown by, and next thing I knew I was in my fourth class of the day. PE was absolutely dreadful, like it would always be, regardless of what school I was at. All the students were lined up at the track, waiting for further instruction.

The coach blew her whistle to quiet everyone from talking. She shot a look to the small group of kids who were still whispering and giggling.

"Alright guys, we're running the mile today. I want to see you guys finish with nothing more than fourteen minutes. It's doable, I don't want to hear any whining or complaining. At the end, Coach Nathaniel will give you your time."

The coach clapped her hands together and stepped out of the way. "First one finished is excused from tomorrow's class. Ready, set, go!"

Almost immediately, I was nearly knocked down by the other students. I staggered, but broke into a steady run. I realized that the last time I actually ran was when I was running away from James, Ivan, and Mike.

Mike...

Was that him up ahead?

I picked up my speed in hopes of catching up to him. And I did, which was quite surprising for myself.

"Hey Mike," I said as I ran next to him. "I didn't realize we had the same PE class!"

"Oh hey, me too!" Mike said. "Now this class will be slightly more tolerable."

"Right, because I'm so awesome," I joked.

"Oh yeah, definitely."

We ran as we talked about little things, like what our day was and how annoying PE was. I noticed that we were slowing down, so picked up my speed a bit, ignoring the burn in my legs. Mike kept up with me, or I was keeping up with him.

"So, how's your day?" Mike asked.

"It's been pretty good," I told him.

That was a lie.

There were too many mixed feelings happening.

"That's good to hear," Mike said. "I'm ready to go home already."

"Felt that."

We continued talking, each topic turning into some bizarre new one. Thankfully, the talking while running helped clear my mind. All the big problems in my life were slowly melting away, little by little.

"So, any big plans for the weekend? Are you going to the county fair?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I am actually," I told him in between breaths. The running was really beginning to wear me out.

"Oh sweet, who are you going with?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Right! I don't know why but I keep forgetting that you've just moved here," Mike light-heartedly chuckled. "Usually people get asked out to the fair, so I guess I just assumed you had a date or something."

"I have no idea what a date even is," I said sarcastically. Mike cracked a smile.

"You know, if you want a date, I have someone in mind you could go out with."

I looked at Mike with horror. "Please don't tell me you're talking about Ivan."

"Pfft, no way!" Mike scoffed. "I don't think I could pay anyone enough to go out with him. Even he makes me squirm with his dumb joke flirting, and we're both straight."

"I don't like him very much," I admitted.

"Yeah, that's fair."

There was a moment of silence between us for a few moments.